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Boundary Country
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The best way to enjoy Boundary Country is to drive north on Highway 33 or east on Highway 3. Travelers will find the communities of Rock Creek, Westbridge and Beaverdell. These small towns are the gateways to hiking trails, wilderness recreation sites and some of the best fishing lakes in the Boundary Region. Between Osoyoos and Greenwood, on Highway 3, lie Bridesville, Rock Creek, and Midway. Lose yourself in the past in these historic towns of the gold rush and mining booms of the early days in British Columbia. Greenwood was the recent site for a movie.
The whole area is sprinkled with point-of-interest signs, museums and ruins of the past glory days. The future is promising with an influx of new residents looking for a slower pace of life and a return to their roots. Take a day trip or a circle tour to visit the Boundary Country’s peaceful hidden valleys.
Greenwood
The future looked promising for Greenwood when Robert Wood purchased 81 hectares of land for a town site at the junction of Boundary and Twin Creeks. The population of the town grew rapidly and it was incorporated as a city in 1897. The CPR reached Greenwood in 1899 at the same time as the B.C. Copper Company built a smelter in the town site. This smelter was built to process ore from the Motherlode Mine.
After struggling through WW1 and the uncertainties that followed, the smelting operations shut down and the city declined as rapidly as it had begun. Some ore continued to be mined by individuals, but logging and millwork kept things alive until WW2. In 1942, 1200 Japanese people were interned in Greenwood and the economy improved once more.
Mining of copper resumed after the war and the city prospered. Today there is little mining, but logging keeps things going and the smallest city in B.C. has attracted a film crew this year. The clock turned back for a while, as the movie took advantage of the well-preserved historic buildings.
Greenwood is a must-see for a day trip or a stay. History can be fun as you shop on the main street or walk along the creek. The nearby smelter and mine site tours and heritage buildings make for a busy time.
Copyright � 2001 Desert Sun Publishing B.C. All rights reserved.
Revised: December 04, 2002 02:14 AM.